Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Machine’s safety interlock was deliberately disabled

A
component engineering company in Cheltenham has admitted safety
failings after a worker was injured inside a machine, which had had its
safety mechanism deliberately disabled.

Grzegorz Chylenski, 33,
was working as a machine operator at PG Components Ltd’s factory when
the incident took place, on 22 August last year. He was operating a
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine, which drills holes in
components made for resale inside electrical goods.

The CNC
machine was fitted with a safety mechanism, which stopped it running
when its doors were opened. But the company had disabled its safety
interlock by placing a male part into the female part of the lock. This
allowed the doors to remain open while the machine was in operation, so
workers could monitor the internal cycle.

On the day of the
incident, Mr Chylenski accidentally dropped a component into the
machine, through the open doors. He believed the machine had come to the
end of a cycle, and he leaned inside to retrieve the part. As he did
so, the moving parts of the machine reactivated and struck him on the
head. He suffered a broken jaw and cuts to his face and ear. He was
unable to return to work for five weeks owing to his injuries.

HSE
inspector Dominic Goacher explained the company had put workers at risk
by disabling the interlock. He said: “The law clearly states that
employers have a duty to ensure the health and safety of their
employees, which includes ensuring machinery and systems of work are
safe. In this instance, PG Components Ltd clearly failed to
ensure the safety of Mr Chylenski, with unfortunate consequences. This
incident could have been avoided had the manufacturer's safety device
not been bypassed. Allowing the CNC machine to be used in this state
puts operators at serious risk of injury, or even death.” PG
Components appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court on 21 May and
pleaded guilty to breaching reg.11(1) of PUWER 1998. It was fined
£11,200 and ordered to pay £2778 in costs. It must also pay £2500 in
compensation to Mr Chylenski. In mitigation, the firm said it
reset the interlock immediately following the incident. It has
subsequently installed a laser probe inside the machine, which feeds
information to a control panel so workers can monitor each cycle. The
company has no previous convictions.